Single women buying twice as many homes as single men, study says

While the overwhelming majority of homebuyers are married couples, it is women who make up the larger share of sales among single people, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Single women are the second-most common homebuyer, accounting for 18 percent of homes purchased last year, according to NAR’s 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Single male buyers accounted for only 7 percent of homes, even fewer than unmarried couples, who bought 8 percent of homes last year. (Married couples make up 65 percent of all home sales.)

Women also purchased more expensive homes than their male counterparts despite still earning less than men on average, with women buying homes with an average value of $185,000 compared with $175,000 for men, NAR reports.

The real estate industry has begun to take notice of this trend. Home builders have begun designing homes with women in mind, according to the Washington Post. The newspaper did not say what a home designed for women entails.

One possible reason women are buying homes at twice the rate as single men: more women view rising rents as a burden, and single women are more likely to see buying a home as a smart investment, according to the Washington Post. In a study conducted by Builders Digital Experience, 23 percent of single women said rising rents were a “trigger” motivation behind a home purchase, which is higher than the 16 percent average for all recent buyers.